Knackeries up the ante in dispute with Department

Knackeries are to stop preparing and presenting fallen sheep to Department of Agriculture veterinary staff for scrapie sampling from this week, the Irish Farmers Journal has learned.

The move comes as talks on a new Fallen Animals Scheme, involving the knackeries and the Department, have effectively stalled.

“The Animal Collectors’ Association [ACA] has notified the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine [DAFM] that, from Monday 19 October, its members will no longer prepare and present fallen sheep to Department veterinary staff for TSE/scrapie sampling,” an ACA spokesperson said.

No deal

The ACA claimed that “months of engagement” had failed to secure a deal on a new Fallen Animal Scheme.

“The previous Fallen Animal Scheme expired in September 2026, and the Department has put forward no replacement,” the ACA spokesperson said.

“The ACA has engaged with the Department over a prolonged period and, at the Department’s request, submitted a detailed, targeted business case in advance of the previous scheme expiring. It has asked on a number of occasions for a substantive response and has not received one.

“Throughout this time, knackery operators have continued to collect fallen farm stock without a scheme in place, in the interests of farmers and animal health. The current position is not sustainable indefinitely."

Engagement preferred

The ACA said the action with regard to fallen sheep is not the association’s “preferred outcome” and it insisted that it remains available to “engage constructively” with the Department.

The ACA’s focus is on “progressing to an agreement so that a further reduction in services can be avoided”, the spokesperson said.

The “precise operational arrangements” with regard to the ACA’s move on fallen sheep “will be communicated appropriately”, the ACA confirmed.